Bringing creativity to vibrant life
Maitland resident keeping busy with painting, ornament orders
Alove of animals and art comes together in the unique items created by Susan Sweet.
The Maitland woman not only captures the spirit of her subjects in paintings on canvas, but also in custom ornaments.
“I used to paint a lot of small things with generic animals but people really wanted their own pets’ images,” she said. “Now, I see hundreds of different faces every year to paint and I hear stories about the connections people have with their animals.”
Sweet works from photos, and when creating an ornament, she begins by drawing on wood, then cutting out the shape with a scroll saw.
“Custom ornaments are primarily ordered to give as gifts and a lot have already been ordered for next Christmas,” said Sweet. “When you’re making something ordered as a gift, you’re part of the surprise because it’s such a highly personalized item.”
Some of her ornaments are used as Christmas tree decorations, while others hang where they can be seen yearround.
“I will attempt to paint any animal, but most of my work has been with cows, horses, cats and dogs,” she said. “I have done rabbits, pigs, chickens, lizards, guinea pigs, mice and rats.”
She grew up in a farming community outside of Windsor and has always had a soft spot for cows.
“If I could, I would probably be happy painting cows all day long. I don’t have a desire to own a cow, but when I’m travelling, I’ll stop and take photos of cows. I like the angular look of dairy cows and I love the way the beef breeds look in the fall with fluffy ears and winter coats.
“My grandfather on my mum’s side was woodcarver. He carved horses and oxen and I wonder if I got an interest in those animals from him.”
Sweet has always loved art. When she was very young, she would ask her aunt to draw animals for her. Doing her own drawings was one of the ways she entertained herself as a child when she had to undergo surgeries for a twisted foot and her movement was restricted.
While in her early 20s, Sweet began painting and in 1990 she graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, with a BFA in fine arts and a minor in art history.
She started a home-based business called Animal Art and created a variety of small items as well as paintings. During the last few years, she stopped making many of the smaller items because of the challenges of working on a small scale and it became more difficult to get hardware for such things like zipper pulls and earrings.
She now splits her work time between paintings and ornaments. She is currently fully booked for custom ornaments but will reassess during the spring or summer to see how many more orders can be taken this year.
“I do pet portraits in various sizes and I try balancing that with following my own themes,” said Sweet. “I do a lot of cows but I also do some landscapes. I really love the shore along East Hants and Economy, Tatamagouche and Cape John. Wayne (her husband) is from Newfoundland, so when we go over for visits, I investigate landscapes there.”
Her own cat, a tabby called Bobby, who she adopted 10 years ago, is also an inspiration for some of her work.
While she’s been busy creating and taking part in shows, Sweet has occasionally taken on arts-related part-time jobs, such as teaching at the Nova Scotia Community College.
The special connection her art holds for people is what she values most.
“It’s my career, my job, but it’s really personal,” she added. “It really is rewarding to paint what people love.”
More information on Sweet’s art can be found on her website at https://susannsweetartist.weebly.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SusanNSweetVisualArtist